A lot of people are still convinced that frozen food should be used only as a convenience or when fresh isn’t available. Scratch that.

All of the food sold at Wild Fork has been blast frozen at forty degrees below zero. Since everything is frozen in IQF portions, and then packed in vacuum sealed packages, it’s easy to remove what you need, reseal the package, and then pop it back into the freezer.

Food can be either be taken out of the freezer and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator, or, if time is short, sealed packages can be left in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Instructions for defrosting are on every package.

Employees in the store at the corner of Main Street and Chicago Avenue in Evanston said their inventory typically included upwards of 450 items with even more available online. Granted, ground ostrich, alligator and elk medallions may not be on most peoples’ list, but chicken thighs, chocolate lava cake, pizza, steaks, fruit, soup and quiche are definitely mainstream.

The company, which is currently headquartered in Dorel, Florida, was founded in 1995. There are already brick and mortar stores in Florida, Dallas, Chicago and California, and there seem to be a lot more on the way. The company currently ships their products to most parts of the continental United States. Reduced delivery fees are available for members. Check online for additional information and an updated list of locations.

So what have I tried? For starters, the tomato basil soup got two thumbs up. I used one of the chicken thighs to make a Vietnamese dish. The flavor was good, and there wasn’t a lot of fat that needed to be trimmed. I haven’t tried the fried rice or the smoked salmon yet, but the frozen vegetables have been just fine.

Next time, I’m planning be more adventurous. Maybe the elk medallions aren’t as far out as I thought they were…